News

All the latest news and views from the CPSU team

Friday Wrap: The week in review

Will Hodgman’s elusive wages policy

CURRENTLY we’re trying to chase down Will Hodgman’s public sector wages policy. It’s a bit like trying to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

What we know so far:

It supposedly says that any increase for you can only be ‘up to’ 2% but we can’t find it to confirm

We’ve heard the Premier and his ministry refer to it and media outlets report on it but its whereabouts is unknown.

No Deputy Secretaries seem to have it.

We know it has undergone one metamorphosis so far, first it was 2%, now it’s up to 2% ...

We’ll keep you updated on how our search progresses.

Out and about: talking to Members about the PSUWA

FROM the North-West to the South over the last few weeks our Organising Team has walked the floors of workplaces to find out what Members’ thoughts on the Public Sector Unions Wages Agreement.

From holding meetings to one-on-one chats, Blair, Ruby, Sarah and Ange are racking up countless conversations to see what Members think.

If you see them at a workplace near you – say hi!

School Admin: pushing for much needed resources

OUR MEMBERS in schools help to build the skills that Tasmania needs for the future.

However, many school admin staff, who keep our schools and colleges running, are being crippled by high and unsustainable workloads.

The School Admin Working Group represents these staff and has been pushing this issue with Education management. Last week this group of Members heard back from Industrial Relations Director Mark Watson about Education’s proposal to deal with high workload. There was some good news and bad news, which included.

There’s additional money for system improvements.

There’ll be a yearly training day for these staff

BUT

Any new staffing formula would be ‘resource neutral’ meaning one school’s extra resources will come at a cost to another school

There’s no guarantee additional resources will be provided even if a need is identified

Any real solution to this workload issue clearly needs additional resources. Delegates are working on a response to Education’s proposal.

If we want to see Tasmanian kids’ educational outcomes life, we need to respect admin staff who keep our schools running.

Allied Health Professionals take leadership issue to bargaining

Tasmanian Health Service CEO Dr David Alcorn’s is still refusing to listen to union Members who’ve voiced their concern about his decision that there’ll be no AHP Executive Director to lead staff, with the position to go to a nurse. Dr Alcorn chairs the Tas Health Service Industrial Consultative Committee, which has met three times so far, yet Dr Alcorn hasn’t attended a single meeting in person or by video.

What now?

AHP members are now looking to take up the issue in bargaining in their AHP Agreement.

Who are Allied Health Professionals?

They include Dental Therapists, Radiologists, Speech Therapists, Public Health Officers, Social Workers, Scientists and work across 25 professions that help Tasmanians from all walks of life. They’re the second largest occupational group in the THS after Nurses.

Why this is important:

AHPs are a vital to our health system and they should be respected and have their own representative at the decision making table. The role is too big to represent the two biggest occupational groups in our health system – AHPS and nurses.